The Bonds We Forgot
by Dannrose
Summary: In the aftermath of the Great Thaw, a shocking, impossible truth comes to light, shaking the already shaken bonds between them all and altering their lives in a way they'd never expect. As Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and the whole of Arendelle come to terms with this truth, they build new, stronger bonds to replace the ones they forgot long ago. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to a Frozen AU. This comes from a plot idea I recently had and since I don't think something like it has really appeared here yet, I decided to go for it. As I said this is AU but it goes off canon after the Great Thaw scene, so most of the movie remains unchanged. It'll be an on-going series so there's room for people's suggestions once I've finished with setting up the AU in the first few chapters so don't be afraid to give some. I hope you all enjoy the story.**_

 _ **I do not own any aspect of Disney's 'Frozen'.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Gerda hastened through the corridors of the castle, feeling unusually tentative.

As a senior member of the serving staff, and one of the longest serving and most dedicated to the royal family, she had long since become confident in her duties. It was rare for her to ever feel nervous or tentative about serving the family and she'd been one of the late Queen's closest confidants. Her husband, Kai, held a similar position to her and this was the reason they'd been trusted with the secret of Elsa's powers and been kept on when the palace staff had been reduced.

Now though, she felt cold dread fill her as she strode down the castle corridors.

She'd only felt like this a couple of times before, when Anna was brought home ice cold and freezing from her sister's magic, when Elsa's powers were revealed in front the whole kingdom and when she'd taken on the sad duty of informing the princesses of their parents' deaths. It was the dread of bringing difficult news with no knowledge of how the recipient would react and it was a duty a servant of her position would inevitably encounter.

Her strides brought her to one of the smaller lounges of the castle, one that sat close to the guest quarters to give them somewhere private to relax, and her eyes fell upon the young man sprawled carelessly over one of the large couches.

Kristoff Bjorgman.

Other, more particular servants or nobles might've found the rather informal position rude and disgraceful but Gerda had spent years working at the castle and this was exactly the sort of undignified thing Princess Anna would do. Also, the poor lad looked completely exhausted and she could entirely understand why.

Since the Great Thaw (referring to Elsa finally gaining control of her powers), the last two or three days had been filled with meetings, discussions and more as they dealt with the aftermath. Ships need repairing, homes needed fixed, crops needed attention and a thousand and one other things that had to be handled after such an unnatural event. On top of that they had to get the entire story organised and straightened out so they could make progress on dealing with it, a lot of foreign dignitaries had been present for the coronation and something like this would certainly affect Arendelle's foreign relations. As a major part of Anna's side of the story, Kristoff had needed to be at many of the meetings both to confirm Anna's tale and to tell his own experience. Though he was an ice harvester and mountaineer by trade and thus used to hardship, such meetings were long and arduous, requiring a certain strength you couldn't acquire out in the wilds.

Gerda gave a small cough and the boy tumbled out off the couch in shock, he glanced around frantically before settling his gazed upon her, looking bewildered.

"Um…er…yeah?"

She momentarily considered making an excuse and leaving the matter she wanted to address with the young man but she steeled her resolve and shoved the thought aside.

"Master Bjorgman, there is a matter Kai and I wish to discuss with you."

"Um…okay."

Though she smiled, the cold knot in her chest tightened. If she and Kai were correct in what they believed, then this young man was about to have his world entirely blown apart along with the worlds of the two princesses.

It could end so very badly.

* * *

Following along behind Gerda, Kristoff ambled along in a state of bemusement.

In all honesty, he'd been in that state ever since Elsa thawed the kingdom, it had been followed by a rush of emotions, explanations and introductions that resulted in him somehow being a guest in the castle in a room that was bigger than Oaken's Trading Post (or so it seemed to him). How, he still wasn't entirely sure but ever since then he'd been in meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion explaining what had happened from when he'd met Anna, right up to when Elsa undid her winter. They'd managed to keep some facts from most (like his troll family) but the discussions had still dragged on and had left him with a mental fatigue like he'd never had.

He also had difficulty coping with living in the castle.

There were expectations here that he'd never had to deal with in the mountains (how to dress, how to speak, how to do _anything!_ ) and it had been a major shock, bordering on traumatic in some cases (like when Kai had the servants literally throw him into a bath fully clothed with the declaration that they'd get him clean and un-smelly or die trying). In short, it had been a series of bewildering events for him that he'd just managed to deal with.

In comparison, Gerda suddenly appearing and telling him that she and Kai needed to have a 'discussion' was relatively normal. Unusual, yes, but easily explained as probably them wanting to put him in yet another fancy outfit for whatever thing he was supposed to be at next.

It became more mysterious when she led him to a section of the castle he was pretty sure was near the royal bedrooms. Despite officially being Anna's guest, he'd not actually been anywhere near this area for obvious reasons and he was curious as to why the two heads of the serving staff wanted to speak with him here.

Gerda brought him past several doors until they met Kai standing outside one that seemed somehow lonely and forgotten. The butler gave him short bow, "Master Bjorgman."

While some of the visiting dignitaries had given him the cold shoulder, all the servants had treated Kristoff with great respect and warmth. He assumed it had to do with the fact he'd done everything he could to save Anna and while it warmed him inside, he still wasn't used to it.

He looked between the two, "Why did you bring me here?"

Husband and wife shared a long look and fear fluttered inside him, he couldn't say why but he suddenly felt that something huge was about to happen, something that would make everything he'd experienced so far look like child's play.

Kai gently inserted a key into the door and slowly unlocked it, it creaked open, as if unused for some time, and he gestured inside. With trepidation, Kristoff took a step towards it, his feelings of fear had grown exponentially and he inexplicably wanted to both enter the room and run as far away from it as possible. He glanced at the two servants trying to work out what was going on. Their expressions were filled with emotion but he couldn't work out what that emotion was. Hope? Joy? Sympathy? It defied his explanation and he looked back at the door.

With great effort, he stepped inside.

It was a bedroom, and going by what he saw, it hadn't been used in a very long time. A layer of dust coated everything inside and his steps left footprints within it. In the centre of one wall sat a four-poster bed, just like the one in his own room though it seemed smaller. Across from it was a neat desk complete with matching chair, both had been intricately made, likely from the best materials available. Large wardrobes graced either side of the desk, probably each holding more clothes than he'd owned in his entire life, and they also bore matching designs. Directly across from the door was a large bay window and before it sat a large wooden chest, carved with a pattern that contained prancing reindeer.

However, it was the portrait by the bed that caught his attention.

It was of the late king and queen and Kristoff recognised them immediately, there were several pictures of them scattered around the castle so it was hard to not know what they looked like. In the picture with them were two other figures, one was undoubtedly a young Elsa, her platinum blonde hair a stark contrast to the more reserved tones of her parents. She was being held by her mother, her blue eyes gazing out of the painting with childlike innocence. Her father held another child but instead of it being a younger Anna, it was another smiling face.

His face.

* * *

From within the doorway, Gerda watched as Kristoff approached the painting as if in a trance, slowly reaching out with his hand to touch the painted face of the boy who appeared nowhere else in the castle.

Seeing his adult features compared against those of the painted boy, she knew that she and Kai had been absolutely right, that the impossible had happened. It had taken them time to notice but looking back it had been so obvious, they'd etched that child's face into their memories and hearts, hoping to see him again. She should've realised when he'd brought Anna to the castle but she'd been so focused on the princess' condition she'd barely spared the man a second glance. It was only when he returned alongside her after the Great Thaw that the memories had stirred, she'd initially dismissed them, it was impossible after all, but when Kai had voiced similar things to her, they'd begun to watch more carefully. They'd studied his features, listened to his background when a concerned Elsa had asked about it and the pieces started to fit together. His developing relationship with Anna had further increased their suspicions and they'd decided to take action before a massive, horribly detrimental misunderstanding could occur.

Bringing Kristoff to this room had been the final test, to try and confirm their theory once and for all and he'd responded in the way they'd both feared and hoped he would.

* * *

Kristoff stared at the boy beneath his hand.

His features were so familiar, so natural and well-known to him that he had no difficulty recognising them but they didn't belong there. They didn't belong in a painting in the castle, they belonged to someone who'd been orphaned young, who'd spent his life in the wilds, who had trolls for family and reindeer for a best friend. This picture shouldn't exist.

Little voices echoed at the edge of his mind, fleeting memories from a corner of his consciousness that he'd not touched for a long time.

" _C'mon, do the magic!"_

" _Mama, papa!"_

" _Slow down son!"_

" _Look Elsa!"_

As they tugged at his mind, he felt a dampness on his cheeks and he realised he'd started crying. A blurred image emerged in his mind, one of the king and queen though not frozen in paint but real and alive, their voices softly sounding through his thoughts.

" _Of course, we'll still love you."_

A hand was laid gently on his shoulder and he heard Kai speak gently, "Though we always hoped, we thought this day would never actually come. Where this room would once again be unlocked and the impossible happened."

Kristoff sat heavily upon the bed and gave way to his turbulent emotion, he felt Kai pull him into a hug and he buried his face into the man's chest as the butler spoke four words that he never thought would ever be said to him.

"Welcome home young prince."

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes, yes, I did just do that. For obvious reasons, there will be no romance between the three main characters but there will still be a lot of fluff and family feels. Please let me know what you all thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the second chapter. We see how Kristoff handles the bombshell of the first chapter as Elsa and Anna are told the truth. Thank those who've shown their support so far and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Kristoff sat in the straw of the stable, not caring that he was ruining the expensive clothes he'd been given.

Since that fateful moment in that abandoned room, he'd been in more emotional turmoil than he'd ever been in his entire life. Gerda and Kai had gently told him everything they knew and explained how it was even possible. They revealed the whole, sad tale of his beginnings and why it had never come to light sooner. They'd then offered to give him all the time and space he needed, promising to keep Anna and Elsa away as he came to terms with what he'd learned. His heart and mind in an absolute mess, he'd done exactly what he always did.

He went to talk to Sven.

This had brought him to the stables where he'd sat beside his best friend. No one appeared to disturb them, most likely due to Gerda and Kai keeping them away, but he'd yet to actually say anything to his loyal companion.

For his part, Sven was well aware that his human friend was greatly troubled but he waited patiently for him to voice what was wrong. Eventually, Kristoff spoke.

"Elsa's my twin."

Sven's eyes bulged in shock, ' _Seriously!_ '

The young man slowly nodded, "Yeah." He sighed, "It seems that the King and Queen had a son who disappeared from the castle when he was very young, they never found him." He buried his face in his hands, "And that son was me."

Sven nudged him lightly.

' _Isn't this something to be happy about?_ '

"It's not that simple buddy!" The man answered, "I'm her brother, _Anna's_ brother," He fixed his gaze on the opposite wall, "I thought, maybe, that my growing feelings for her were romantic ones but it was actually because she was my sister." He expression morphed into one of horror, "What if Kai and Gerda hadn't realised, hadn't told me before we got too close, before we _kissed_!?"

' _But they did, and now you have a chance to be a family again._ '

"But I don't know if they'll accept me! I've been gone for almost twenty years."

' _It wasn't your fault._ '

"They've only just reconnected after years of separation, could they really cope with suddenly having a brother as well? One they probably don't even remember?"

' _They're still your family._ '

"We can't even be completely sure that I am their missing brother." Kristoff argued, "It could turn out to be one huge mistake!"

Sven fixed him with a steady gaze.

' _Do you actually believe that?_ '

The man held his friend's stare for a moment, then, he looked away, "No." He folded his arms around his knees, "I know it isn't a mistake."

* * *

For the first time in far too long, Elsa's heart was light.

They were getting close to finishing with all of the business brought about by the events of her coronation, one of the visiting dignitaries was returning Hans to the Southern Isles, trade to Weselton had been cut and blocked, repairs to damaged property were well underway and a public speech she'd made had been meet with enthusiasm by the people. Her spare time had been spent trying to rebuild her relationship with Anna, rediscovering their shared likes and relearning what it meant to be sisters.

As part of this, Elsa had made a point of dining with her younger sister for every meal, something that hadn't happened in years.

Blowing lightly on a spoonful of soup, the Queen smiled as her sister told all her about an incident in the town that'd resulted in Olaf being covered in cake. Anna was wildly gesturing as she told her tale and Elsa wondered if she should move her soup bowl before it was catapulted across the table. She noticed Anna's eyes linger on a certain chair and Elsa also glanced at the third place that had been laid ready for a guest.

Since the Great Thaw, Kristoff had joined them for dinner almost every night, partly because Elsa had wanted to meet the man who'd done so much for her sister and partly because he was Anna's personal guest. His knowledge of etiquette was virtually non-existent and his table manners were very much non-ballroom standard but Elsa had found herself warming to the ice-harvester. For all his lack of social skills, he was open and honest, there was no deception about him and he certainly didn't try to be something he wasn't. His awkwardness with living in the castle and his almost constant state of confusion had endeared him to her. She'd found herself sympathising greatly with his situation. He'd gone from a solitary life in the mountains to staying in the castle surrounded by foreign nobles whom, had things been different, he'd never have even seen, let alone met. He'd also been dropped into a life of luxury and expectation, where simple things such as changing and eating had become overly complicated and confusing. As such she'd tried to ease things for him a bit and avoid overwhelming him by letting him continue eating with them where his lack of etiquette wouldn't be an issue, instead of having him eat with the other guests who were mostly nobles.

However, there was something that bothered her about him.

She couldn't really describe what it was, it was more of an odd feeling than anything else. Whenever she saw him, she couldn't help but feel that she'd somehow encountered him before. Of course. this was entirely impossible, he'd grown up in the mountains, basically abandoned to fend for himself and she'd spent most of her life inside her room in the castle. There was no way that they'd ever seen each other before but yet the feeling remained.

Because of this, she was slightly concerned about the fact that Kristoff hadn't yet appeared, he'd always been on time for meals previously but for the last day or two, he hadn't materialised at all. She could tell that Anna was also worried and the younger sister would constantly glance towards the door as if the ice-harvester would hurry through at any moment, awkwardly apologising for being late even as he squirmed uncomfortably in whatever clothes the servants had made him wear. However, he never appeared and Anna finally voiced her concerns.

"Where's Kristoff? I've not seen him for ages!"

"Maybe something came up, his ice business must have picked up after the winter ended." Elsa suggested.

"But no one's seen him!" Her sister argued, "He's not been out and about town and even if his business has increased, he doesn't have the tools and sled to harvest and transport ice. I've not had the chance to give him the replacements we've got him yet."

The doors opened, interrupting their discussion, and Anna instantly looked towards them, her face full of hope.

It immediately fell in disappointment when it was revealed to just be Kai and Gerda but Elsa grew concerned when she saw them. She'd known them her whole life and she'd rarely seen them look as hesitant as they did now, whatever they'd come for, it was going to be hard to hear.

Kai gave a quick bow as his wife curtsied, "Your Majesty, there is a matter which we need to discuss privately with you and your sister."

Elsa gave a short nod and any other servants in the room quickly hurried away, once they'd all vanished, she gestured to some chairs at the table and they both sat down. She waited patiently as Kai took a moment or two to organise his thoughts before speaking, once he did so, he asked a question she really hadn't been expecting.

"Elsa, what do you remember about your brother?"

His words indicated a couple of things. One, his use of her name rather than her title told her that this would be an issue that touched upon deeply personal things for both her and Anna. Two, whatever it was had something to do with her lost brother.

She answered quietly, "Not much…just a few glimpses and faded memories. I'd been very young at the time."

"Brother! What brother?" Anna's gaze darted constantly between them, "Since when did we have a brother?"

Elsa bit her lip and swallowed slightly, of course Anna wouldn't know. She'd just been a new-born at the time and with everything that'd happened in their lives, she'd probably never been told about him.

She answered softly, "He was my twin."

"What happened? Where did he go? Why did no one ever tell me I had an older brother!?"

"Anna, calm down." Elsa's words halted her sister's frantic questions and she gently explained things, "You'd have been far too young at the time to remember him and with everything that happened with my powers, our parents either decided or never got around to telling you about him."

She reached across the table and lightly touched her hand as Kai took up the explanation, "Your brother disappeared from within the castle not long after you were born, Anna. The guards, servants and your parents spent weeks, even months searching for him but found nothing, he'd just gone to bed one night and was gone the next morning. No one knew what had happened for certain but it was believed that someone had found a way into the castle and taken him away. Every aspect of the castle's defences was checked and triple checked but we found no evidence of how it had been possible." He closed his eyes sadly, "Eventually, we all had to accept that he was gone, that we might never find nor hear about him ever again. I believe that announcing the loss of his son to the kingdom was one of the hardest things your father ever had to do."

Gerda continued for her husband, "Though the official search ended, your father always had people keeping an ear out for any rumours about your brother and what had happened to him. Occasionally, we'd get a report of someone similar to your brother but it usually turned out to be another boy who just looked like him." She looked to the younger princess, "Anna, we meant to tell you all of this at some point but we thought that with everything happening between you and your sister, more sorrow was the last thing you needed."

Silence reigned over the room, faint memories of her brother swirled in Elsa's mind, ones she'd not touched for a long time. Then, Anna's quiet, tentative voice was heard.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Now that was a question Elsa wanted an answer to as well, why, after nearly eighteen years, would they mention her brother again. Her memories of him were faint and he'd been missing for so long the only conclusion they could come to was that he was dead, why bring it up once more just as she and Anna were rediscovering how to be sisters, just when things looked brighter than they had done in years.

Gerda and Kai shared a long look, it seemed they had reached the crux of the conversation, the reason for them to have begun it in the first place. They faced the sisters.

"Because, we can say, with great confidence, that Kristoff is your brother."

* * *

The silence that followed was deafening.

It took minutes for Anna to process just what they'd said, she was still getting her head around the fact she'd had a brother and now they'd dropped this upon them. Her first thought was to laugh, treat it as some sort of crazy joke, but this was Gerda and Kai, they'd never joke about something like this.

Beside her, Elsa had a death grip upon the arms of her seat, a thin layer of ice slowly creeping along the wood. She stared at her heads of staff and spoke in a voice that barely went above a whisper, "Are you sure?"

Kai nodded solemnly, "Yes Elsa, we did everything we could to find out for certain. We have no doubt that he is your brother."

The Queen released her grip on the chair and the ice faded away, "Does he know?"

Another nod, "Yes, he does. Its why he's been hiding away for the last couple of days, he's been trying to come to terms with it."

Anna suddenly stood, filled with the sudden urge to get out, "Excuse me."

She hurried out of the room and away down the corridor, not noticing where her feet were taking her. Her mind whirled in thought, Kristoff was her brother. Kristoff was her _brother!_ How long had she gone along, not realising she'd had a brother? And how could he be Kristoff? It made no sense!

But then again, what said he couldn't be?

She knew his story, as far as he remembered, he'd been on his own. He'd apparently been found abandoned in the wilds and passed on to an orphanage, he'd eventually run away from there and into the mountains, meeting Sven and discovering the ice-harvesters for the first time. After that he'd been adopted by the trolls and from there he'd spent most of his time in the mountains, only really coming down from them to sell his ice, until he met her in Oaken's Trading Post. His story fitted with what Gerda and Kai had told her, Kristoff himself had admitted that he couldn't really remember why or how he'd been abandoned in the first place nor who'd done so, it could've easily been whoever took him from the castle. But why did they leave him? Why did they take him in the first place? There were so many unanswered questions.

She found herself in one of the lesser halls, the one that was largely decorated with paintings, and she sat down upon one of the seats there.

What now? She'd started to grow so close to Kristoff, even considered him her true love when she'd been slowly freezing to death. Yet another one of her misunderstandings of love, why did she keep getting it wrong?

"Anna!"

A happy voice startled her out of her thoughts and she saw Olaf running towards her excitedly, "Guess what I did today!"

She looked down, "Oh, hey Olaf."

The little snowman instantly picked up on her mood and he came up to her in concern, "Are you okay?"

She sighed, "I don't know." She looked up into his worried eyes, "Kristoff's my brother."

Olaf's expression went from concern, to shock and then to jubilation, "That's amazing!" His face fell, "Isn't it?"

She didn't know how to answer. In a way, he was right, it was amazing. They'd found their long-lost brother, it should've been something to celebrate, an event of immense joy and happiness. But she'd become so close to him, not even realising who he was or understanding what she was feeling about him. She'd thought it was a romantic love but instead it was a sibling love growing from an ancient memory she probably couldn't even recall.

She looked down once more, "I don't know…maybe?" She groaned, "I didn't know I'd even had a brother until today and now I find out that its Kristoff! I don't know what to do!"

A tiny, twiggy hand was gently placed on her knee, "Love him, the way you love Elsa."

She opened her mouth to reply, to tell him it wasn't that simple, but stopped as she thought more. If it was difficult for her, how much more difficult would it be for Kristoff, for Elsa? They were all going through this right now, none of them had expected it and shouldn't that mean they were best finding their way through together. Maybe she had misunderstood her love for him but was she the only one? Olaf had been mistaken, so had the trolls and even Kristoff himself, they'd all got it wrong. It now just meant they knew better now and there was nothing wrong with that, Kristoff needed them, needed her, to help him through this change that was probably far greater for him than them.

She smiled, "You're right Olaf."

He beamed at her.

* * *

 _ **PS-I hope I did an okay job of handling the characters and their reactions. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter. Thank you everyone who's given their support so far and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Elsa walked slowly through the corridors of the castle, taking time to consider her thoughts.

Out of all of them, she was probably handling the sudden news about Kristoff the best. She hadn't really begun to know him yet, they'd be introduced just after the Great Thaw and they'd spoken at mealtimes but that was about it. In all honesty, she'd been far more focused on rebuilding her relationship with Anna so while she'd grown to like his company, he was still very much 'Anna's friend'. Yes, it had been a huge shock but she'd developed her own suspicions about him already, all Kai and Gerda did was put the last pieces together for her. She'd questioned them about it, why they'd considered it as a possibility, how they'd come to their final conclusion, and she agreed with it.

She'd gone up to her brother's old room and checked the painting for herself. Having now seen it, she couldn't deny that her brother's portrait was uncannily similar to Kristoff and her own, albeit fuzzy, memories also supported the truth.

That now left the question of what to do about it.

It was no good trying to deny that he was their brother, it wouldn't change the fact that he was but it was also no good trying to ignore it. They had to do what they could to help Kristoff through this, it would be a far bigger challenge for him than them. Yes, they suddenly had a brother again but their actual lifestyle and position hadn't changed that much. He not only gained a family but a title, he was a prince with all the trappings attached to it, his whole lifestyle and position in society was turned on its head. There'd be expectations he'd never had before, duties beyond what he was used to, he'd be in the public eye the rest of his life and probably everything he did would be watched critically. A vast difference from his solitary life in the icy mountains.

Her feet brought her to the castle stables, Anna had told her about Kristoff's odd habit of 'conversing' with his reindeer, so she had a feeling he might've been spending most of the last couple of days in Sven's company.

She'd gone to find Anna first but she'd found her sister in deep conversation with Olaf. Apparently, the little snowman had come across her first and Elsa felt that their conversation wasn't one to be interrupted. As such, she'd quietly slipped away again to find the man who was really her twin.

He was sat down alongside Sven and seeing him after seeing the painting, it was so obvious the two were the same person.

In the few times they'd mentioned her lost brother, her parents had mentioned how he'd seemed to take far more after his grandfather but Elsa could see hints of their father in him. Though a slightly darker shade, Kristoff's brown eyes reminded her of her father's, he also inherited his longer face, whereas she and Anna had their mother's rounded one.

Said face was staring up at her in surprise and it was clear he was beginning to panic upon seeing her. Then, he seemed to notice something in her expression and his panic faded.

"They told you, didn't they?"

All she could do was nod.

They both stared at each other, neither one sure of what to do. Sven kept glancing between them, his eyes wide with concern as he watched the two siblings continue to remain silent. Elsa took a tentative step towards him and he opened and closed his mouth as if trying to say something but not knowing how.

Then, she gave into her emotions.

Elsa practically launched herself at him, nearly knocking him over into the straw. As she wrapped her arms tightly around him she felt him freeze up and then gently close his own arms around her. She felt a slight dampness on her shoulder and she knew he was crying, there were tears in her own eyes as she hugged her twin for the first time in eighteen years.

* * *

Kristoff wasn't sure how long they stayed there, hugging upon the stable floor, but it was enough.

He had a sister, _two_ sisters! It filled him with a warmth he only got around the trolls and Sven and he was starting to see just how lucky he was. He now had more family than ever before and he had to admit they were pretty loving.

Eventually, they let go of each other and Elsa smiled at him, "You've really grown."

He smiled back, "Yeah, I guess so." He then frowned, "Elsa, I'm…"

She cut him off, "Don't even think about apologising for going missing! It's not your fault."

"But if I hadn't…"

"Kristoff, there's no point thinking about what might have happened if you'd grown up with me and Anna. Intentionally or not, you were there when she needed you the most." She reached over and ruffled his hair, "It makes me proud that you're my little brother."

"Wait, little?" Kristoff frowned in confusion, "I thought I was your twin?"

She smiled mischievously, "Yes, but Gerda told me I was born a whole fifteen minutes before you, that makes you my little brother."

"Hang on, you can't use fifteen minutes to gain big sister rights!"

"Of course, I can."

Her smile became slightly smug and he chuckled. Their whole exchange felt…natural, like he'd never not been her brother, perhaps this was why he'd warmed to Anna so quickly even when he naturally stayed away from people.

"Kristoff!"

As if summoned by his thoughts, Anna's voice came from outside and they barely had time to look towards the door before she burst in, already holding forth, "Kristoff, I know that this is probably scary and confusing to you but I promise that me and Elsa will be here for you no matter…oh!"

She stopped in the doorway, staring at them both sat in the stables. She glanced between them and then spoke awkwardly, "I guess you've already sorted that then. Well, there goes my whole motivational speech. I'll just, I don't know…"

"Anna."

He spoke before she could wander off down a tangent and she stared at him briefly before he found himself nearly knocked over a second time by an emotional sister.

As Anna clung to him, he returned the embrace, not commenting on the fact that her tight grip was nearly throttling him. He heard her speak, almost as if to convince herself, "I have a big brother."

Big brother, he liked being called that and he had to admit he liked being called little brother as well. He couldn't help but respond, "And I've got a little sister."

He knew his words had caused a huge smile to spread across Anna's face and he felt one on his own as well. They heard a sniffing noise coming from the door and they all looked again to see Olaf wiping a tear from his eye, he smiled at them all, "Kristoff's part of the family."

"Hey wait." Anna suddenly released him and furrowed her brow in thought, "Does that mean the trolls are like our…step-family? I mean, they did basically adopt you and everything. I know it probably isn't official anywhere and we're the only ones who really know but…"

Elsa shook her head, "Anna, I don't think it matters either way. Let's just continue to keep them a secret, it's the very least we owe them."

Kristoff smiled, "Honestly, if you want to call them family I know they'll be thrilled." He frowned, "Though I'll need to tell them about who I actually am." Another thought occurred to him, "What about everyone else? Are we going to have to tell the whole kingdom?"

Elsa's face grew serious, "Yes, even if we try to keep it a secret, the truth will get out sooner or later. Better to let them know from the beginning."

Fear clenched in Kristoff's gut, Elsa and Anna knowing was one thing, but the whole kingdom? He knew from the moment it was revealed to them, his whole life would change. There'd be expectations, duties, his every move would be considered and judged, he'd even sit somewhere in the line of succession! He'd probably have to help Elsa rule Arendelle! Ice-harvesting, surviving in the mountains, even escaping from a pack of hungry wolves he could handle, but running a country? No way! There was no way he could do it.

Both Elsa and Anna took one of his arms, the older sister smiled encouragingly, "As Anna said when she arrived, we'll be here for you no matter what."

The younger one mirrored her expression, "We've both spent too long shutting each other out, we're not repeating that mistake again."

He smiled gratefully, though still fearful, it had abated slightly. It would take some getting used to and would most likely be hard, but they'd sort it out together as siblings. They sat in this way for a short while until Olaf spoke to him in a stage whisper.

"This is the part where you all hug."

With a laugh, Kristoff put his arms around his sisters and did just that.

* * *

From outside, Kai and Gerda watched the three embrace.

Stifling laughter as Olaf and Sven unashamedly joined them, they crept away from the family reunion.

They'd worried about what would happen when they told the sisters but it seemed to have been the best thing they could've done and personally, it made them feel emotional themselves. They'd cared for the sisters all their lives and with no children of their own, they'd happily acted as surrogate aunt and uncle, even more so when the King and Queen died. They'd also cared greatly for the prince when he'd been in the castle and his loss had hit them hard.

Now though, he was grown up and had the makings of a fine young man.

No doubt he'd find the transition from ice-harvester to prince to be challenging but they were confident he'd find a way to do so without compromising who he was. He had two sisters to help him, as well as them and many of the castle staff.

He didn't know it but most of the servants had a bit of a soft spot for him, his dedication to bringing Anna home had certainly earned their respect and when they heard of his back story, that only increased it. The more motherly servants had immediately latched upon his lonely life and seemed determined to lavish care and attention upon him, even if he didn't realise it. As for the others, they just liked him as a person, his more honest, if blunt, personality was a refreshing change and his awkwardness with almost everything in the castle was endearing.

Gerda lightly squeezed her husband's hand, "We were right to tell them."

He smiled at her, "We wouldn't have even realised if it wasn't for you."

She shook her head, "Stop being modest, you worked it out yourself as well." She glanced back at the stables, "After all these years, they're finally back together again."

He placed his arm around her shoulders, "And this time, we're not going to lose any of them again."

* * *

 _ **PS-Some family fluff for you all there. As I've said before suggestions are welcome for future chapters. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This time we get to see the trolls as the siblings go to tell them the news. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Despite accepting the truth, things between the siblings were still a little tentative and awkward as they figured out how to manage it.

True to their promise, both Elsa and Anna had been doing all they could to help Kristoff settle into being their brother but with the events of the coronation still having an effect on the kingdom, lots of other issues kept cropping up. Though there'd been no public announcement, changes were still happening, Kristoff had moved from the guest rooms into the royal quarters, taking the room that had once been his all those years ago.

There'd been concerns about how he'd cope but he seemed far more at ease in there than in the room he'd recently been using. That being said, there were still times where he was far happier bedding down in the stables alongside Sven as he always used to but everyone was perfectly happy to let it slide. The same couldn't be said for when he smuggled Sven upstairs to his room. How he'd got the reindeer past Gerda's eagle eyes no one knew (many theorised that Anna must have helped him) but the whole plan fell apart when he slept in and Kai had entered to wake him, just to find both Sven and Kristoff curled up on the carpet beside the bed.

The lecture that Gerda delivered to him afterwards of 'no matter how lovely he is, Sven cannot come into the castle' lasted for quite some time and had both Anna and Elsa wincing in sympathy for him. Royalty or not, when it came to housekeeping, Gerda reigned supreme.

The siblings were also spending a lot of time together, trying to catch up on so much lost time and get to know each other properly again. Mealtimes were especially crucial in this, since they were the three points in the day they were guaranteed to see each other, and they'd all made a point to never miss a single one, regardless of what they were doing.

Finally, there was a sudden surge in Kristoff's schooling. Since he was a prince now, he'd have to have the education to go with it and Kai and Elsa were both of the opinion that he should get started before his identity became official. They had feared that he'd be starting from scratch but they soon discovered that the trolls had given him a fair education already. He was literate, competent at mathematics and his knowledge of natural processes of the world was pretty extensive. It was the more human specific subjects that were unknown to him such as politics and economics, his history was pretty basic and picked up as he went along while his etiquette was rather…lacking. Of course, his survival and mountaineering skills, as well as his knowledge of his own business, was unapparelled but those were, unfortunately, not considered suitably 'princely' by most.

If the other servants had noticed the changes, they were staying quiet about them but everyone was aware that an official announcement would have to be made soon, before the rumour mill of the kingdom was given ammunition. It would also attract the attention of other countries, Arendelle was already in the limelight because of Elsa but throwing in the sudden reappearance of the missing prince would only add to it. Whether it would be for good or ill remained to be seen, but revealing Kristoff to the world was going to have to happen soon.

But before that, they were going to have to tell the trolls.

* * *

Kristoff was holding the reins with Anna and Elsa sitting either side of him as they headed for the Valley of Living Rock.

The brand-new sled (Kristoff's reward for helping Anna before they discovered who he was) sped along behind Sven as they travelled over a trail of snow provided by Elsa. Despite its mystical nature, the valley was actually fairly close to Arendelle, albeit off the beaten track, but it was still a fair trip that would take most of the night to fully complete. The trolls were nocturnal so they couldn't come to visit during the day since they'd all be curled up in their rock forms while the sun was out. As such, Elsa had to be sure that there'd be no pressing issues that would require her attention the day after before they came but it seemed things in the kingdom were finally settling down. It had been surprisingly easy to convince the castle guards that they didn't need to accompany them but then again, with the powers of winter at her command, Elsa was more than capable of protecting herself and the others.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the valley, its narrowness forcing them to leave the sled behind.

The trolls had kept the entrance of their home well concealed, it could only be found if you knew where to look or were led there. This had kept people away for centuries, with only a select few ever seeing the trolls themselves.

Finally, right where they always were, they found the trolls.

As Kristoff and Anna walked confidently amongst the sleeping trolls, Elsa hovered near the edge of their clearing, unsure of what her welcome would be. Kristoff immediately started greeting his adoptive family.

"Hey guys!"

As if in response, the boulders scattered about the clearing shuddered and rolled towards him, unfolding into the trolls. Kristoff's adoptive mother, Bulda, exclaimed joyfully, "Kristoff's home!"

The other trolls immediately began clamouring around him.

"Look at you!"

"You're wearing new clothes!"

"And you've brought Anna back!"

Before they could get carried away, Kristoff cut across the joyful hubbub, "Everyone, it's great to see you but I've got something really important to tell you all."

Bulda glanced between him and Anna, a grin upon her face suggesting exactly what she was assuming, "I'll say."

Anna instantly began denying it, "No, not something like that. We don't love each other, well we do but not in that way and…"

"Anna." Kristoff stopped her flustered babbling then knelt down to look his adoptive mother in the eye, "Anna and Elsa are my sisters. I'm actually Arendelle's missing prince."

For the first time in many a year, the trolls were speechless.

The sea of eyes stared at the two of them, most mouths hanging open in shock until Bulda spoke quietly, "Is this true?"

"Yes."

Elsa took a step forward from where she'd been watching unnoticed from the side lines. At her voice, all the trolls looked her way and whispers ran among them. She continued, "Kristoff is my twin brother, he was taken from the castle at a young age then somehow abandoned in the wilds."

A rolling sound interrupted them and trolls moved aside as Grand Pabbie rolled up to her, he unfolded and looked upon her with a light smile, "Your Majesty." He then bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry my words all those years ago caused so much pain, I didn't realise how your parents would interpret them."

Elsa gave a smile of her own, "You are not to blame Grand Pabbie, I know you were only trying to help and I am as much to blame as anyone for what happened." She knelt down, "But that's not why we're here."

The elderly troll turned back to his human ward, "So, you are the lost prince." He placed a fatherly hand upon Kristoff's knee, "It is good that you've found your human family again, I am only sorry it took so many years." He frowned, "Perhaps I might've perceived it long ago had I thought to look into your past further when you first arrived."

"It doesn't matter." The man answered, "I was never unhappy living here and I'm not sure anything could've been done even if you had realised."

Grand Pabbie nodded at the man's words, "Perhaps you are right." He stepped back a little and addressed the two sisters, "It does our hearts good to see our human ward reunited with his family. I hope that your bonds will continue to grow and please…take care of him."

Elsa nodded, "We will."

"We totally will!" Anna grinned, "Besides, it's not like we're taking him away forever. You're not so far from the castle that we can't come and visit regularly. So, don't worry, you'll see us again soon."

Grand Pabbie smiled gently, "That is good to hear."

* * *

They spent quite some time with the trolls, with Kristoff filling them in on what had happened since he'd last seen them, but eventually they had to leave.

Kristoff was veritably mobbed by well-wishers, each with their own words on his new family. He worked his way around them all until he finally came to Bulda and Cliff. He crouched down so his adoptive mother could cup his face in her hands.

"Now, you look after your sisters and make sure you find yourself a nice princess." She looked pointedly at the sisters, "And you two are welcome here anytime, you're family as well."

Cliff patted his adoptive son's knee.

"Take care of yourself Kristoff and remember to come visit us every so often."

The man smiled, "Of course I will."

He pulled them both into a hug and both trolls smiled with joy for their son. Eventually, they separated and Kristoff stood. Elsa then stepped forward, "Thank you for caring for my brother all these years."

The trolls all smiled, slightly bashfully, and Grand Pabbie answered, "Kristoff has been a part of our family from the moment we took him in, I hope that you consider yourselves equally part of that same family." He gave a short farewell bow, "May you have a safe journey home."

Elsa curtsied politely in response, "Thank you Grand Pabbie."

As they started to walk back towards the valley entrance, Anna waved goodbye enthusiastically, "Goodbye and thank you! We'll come and visit again really soon, promise."

The trolls waved back vigorously, calling after them as they went.

"Make sure Kristoff eats his greens!"

"He'll try and live off carrots, don't let him!"

"Make sure he washes, he always forgets to do it!"

"And don't let him keep wearing the same clothes!"

The calls continued until they were finally out of sight.

* * *

 _ **PS-So the trolls now know. Next chapter I think I'll have them revealing Kristoff's identity to the rest of the kingdom. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter five. This one shows the council being told Kristoff's identity, though their reaction isn't the one he was expecting. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Kristoff hopped about nervously, fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he waited for the doors to open.

Elsa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Stop worrying Kristoff, everything will be fine."

"But it's the council Elsa!" He glanced at her fearfully, "How are they going to react to this?"

Beside him, Anna patted his arm, "It'll be okay, most of the council were around when you were living here before, it probably won't be a surprise for most of them."

"She's right." The queen agreed, "I'm sure most of them already have their suspicions and will be entirely understanding. Arendelle's nobles aren't as stuffy as those of other kingdoms."

He looked between his sisters hopefully, "You sure?"

Elsa smiled, "Absolutely."

Anna nodded vigorously, "Of course."

Kai slipped through the doors and respectfully bowed, "Your Majesty, the council is ready."

Elsa nodded thankfully, "Thank you Kai."

At his nod, two guards swung the double doors and Elsa strode regally through, Anna followed eagerly behind her while Kristoff walked with trepidation as they joined the council.

The council was Elsa's assistant in ruling the kingdom, it was made up of several nobles and their job was to guide and advise the monarch upon Arendelle's matters. Most of them had served in the time of her father and brought considerable experience and wisdom to the discussions, a large help for the young queen. Unlike other kingdoms, nobility wasn't something you were necessarily born into, most had to prove they were worthy of their title and those of exceptional talent could be granted titles by the monarch. Also, just because you were born to a certain noble family, it wasn't guaranteed you would serve on the council. King Agnarr had chosen his council personally and preferred to do so based on the person's character rather than their birth right. Of course, it wasn't perfect, you still had the stuffy, full of themselves types of nobles but they were largely in the minority.

They all stood as the queen entered and Elsa curtsied politely before sitting down, Anna followed suit before sitting on her sister's left and Kristoff gave an awkward, nervous bow before sitting at her right. One or two of the council frowned in confusion at this but most wore knowing expressions.

Once everyone was seated, Elsa began, "Lords and Ladies of the council, thank you for attending this meeting. I have asked you here to make a most important announcement, not just for the kingdom but for the Royal Family personally. It pertains to the disappearance of Arendelle's prince some years ago and I believe that many of you already have your suspicions as to the nature of the announcement." She briefly paused before continuing, "Thanks to the investigations of our loyal heads of staff, Kai and Gerda, and with follow up investigations of all available records, we can say with confidence that Kristoff is indeed my missing brother."

At this, most members of the council smiled and nodded in agreement, as if unsurprised and Lord Basse leaned forward, "I believe I can speak for most of this council when I say that you were right in thinking we already had our suspicions. We were very well acquainted with the young prince before his tragic disappearance and it does my heart good to see that our fears of his death were unfounded."

As he spoke, Elsa could see Anna struggling to not laugh at Kristoff's stunned expression, he was clearly dumfounded at the complete lack of drama at the revelation of his heritage and the council speaking of it like any other discussion. For her part, she wasn't surprised in the slightest, these people were not stupid and they'd seen Kristoff many times, both as a child and over the last few days, of course they'd put the pieces together on their own. They were also the ones who'd dealt with the aftermath of the unnatural winter she'd caused and they'd discussed that in the same, calm, methodical way they were now.

Lady Analia spoke, "Of course this must be officially announced to the kingdom and we must inform our allies and trading partners of this. Many of them will wish to send envoys to meet with Prince Kristoff so I suggest we organise an official celebration of his return, this way he can meet the envoys at one event instead of over a course of several weeks."

"Shouldn't we sort out how this affects the line of succession first?" One of the slightly younger nobles (who hadn't already put the pieces together like the others) said in a slightly quiet and stunned tone.

Lord Basse answered mildly, "There is little need to. Queen Elsa was born fifteen minutes before Prince Kristoff, therefore, she is the first-born child and heir so her position does not change. As things stand at this moment, Prince Kristoff is now next in line for the throne but I very much doubt there will be any need for him to take over. Considering that her Majesty is both young and completely capable of taking care of herself."

"Indeed." Lady Analia replied, "Our priority should be to both make this official and to assist Prince Kristoff in learning about his new duties and role."

Elsa finally joined the conversation, "We have already begun to tutor him on what may be expected of him, as well as other sections of his education that he's missed."

Lord Gurra smiled, "Then it seems things are already well in hand, might I suggest that we officially recognise Prince Kristoff as a council and adjourn the meeting. We can discuss officially announcing his identity to the kingdom and organise a date for the celebration of his return at another meeting."

The rest of the council nodded in agreement and Elsa spoke, "Raise hands all members who recognise Kristoff as my brother and our Prince."

As one, the entire table raised their hands, though one or two still looked a bit nonplussed, and the Queen smiled, "Thank you all, we shall convene again later today to discuss the details of announcing this to both the kingdom and the wider world, meeting adjourned."

The council members stood and filed out of the room, bowing or curtsying to the royal family as they went, until it was just the three siblings left at the table. Anna leaned across and poked her brother in the arm, "Kristoff, are you broken?"

Kristoff was sat with his mouth slightly open and a bewildered look plastered across his face but at Anna's prodding, he blinked and looked to Elsa, "What happened? They were so calm and unsurprised…"

His sister giggled, "As Anna said before we started, most of them knew you before you disappeared so it wasn't hard for them to work out who you really were."

"Most of them probably realised when you moved into our wing of the castle and your sudden lessons would've confirmed it." Anna added.

"Not to mention that they were the same council who dealt with their new queen having ice powers who inadvertently set off an eternal winter in the middle of July and then thawed said winter through her love for her sister." Elsa continued, "In comparison, discovering that their long-lost prince has actually been living as an ice harvester all these years isn't much of a shock."

He blinked in bemusement then shrugged, "Well, when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense." He then frowned, "Wait! They were talking about envoys from other kingdoms. Am I going to start having to go to fancy balls and gatherings now?"

He wore a look of such horror that Anna burst out laughing and Elsa smiled mirthfully, "I'm afraid so, the other kingdoms will want to meet you once your identity is official and the easiest way to do that is to host a large celebration of your return."

Anna smiled slyly, "Nobles will also want to see how eligible you are for their daughters."

"What!"

Elsa grinned evilly, "You'll also have to dance."

"And make small talk." Anna added.

"Discuss politics."

"Talk about trade."

"And maintain impeccable manners at all times."

Kristoff buried his head in his arms in despair as his sisters laughed, Gerda had entered while they'd been talking and she bustled over, "Your Majesty, Princess, I think you should stop teasing the poor boy, you're going to make him freak out." She patted him gently on the back, "There's nothing to worry about your highness, we will ensure that you are fully prepared to face any sort of Royal occasion and it's not nearly as bad as your sisters are making it sound."

He looked up hopefully, "Really?"

She nodded firmly, "Really."

Having gained control of her laughter, Anna nodded in agreement, "It's true, none of us have really had much experience with royal balls and parties, we'll been in it together."

Elsa added her input with a teasing smile on her lips, "Besides, I'm sure Anna will do something inappropriate long before you do."

"Elsa!"

She smiled mischievously at her younger sister as Anna gave her a mock glare, causing Kristoff to chuckle, "I guess you're right about that one."

"Hey!"

The girl pretended to pout and the twins sniggered, Gerda shook her head and departed, speaking audibly as she did so, "I dread to think what kind of chaos the three of you will cause at a royal ball, heaven help us all."

The three of them burst out laughing.

* * *

 _ **PS-So the council were far more understanding than expected. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


End file.
